Midnight meetings- Ashitaka and San
by Rhapsody211
Summary: Ashitaka so plagued by nightmares of the forest spirits death, and San appears in the most unexpected way to comfort him-please review and I will love you forever!
1. Chapter 1

Just a small fic that I came up with in the middle of the night. I do not own any characters or themes, just my interpretation.

"Listen up, everyone. I'm going to show you how to kill a god."  
The rifle fired. He watched from the sacred water with a look of dread drowning his eyes as the forest spirit's head fell slowly, as time began to cease. It was smiling. The head was smiling. It hit the mossy ground with a thud, and blood spewed everywhere. He couldn't move. In terror, he watched the small, wiggling worms begin to inch from its ears, eyes, and nose, finally erupting into mass of wriggling disease. A disease of hate.  
He heard a shriek, and saw the Princess Mononoke run to the head, tears glistening on her pale cheeks. She wailed and leapt onto the forest spirit's head, her own self being engulfed in the rage. He braced himself for a scream of pain, but instead heard a laugh. A demented sort of laugh as if they were tickling her. She suddenly stood stock straight, laughing maniacally, crawling in with the demon's fury. She turned to him, her face indiscernible, and approached. A deep voice came from her throat,  
"Still want to kiss me now, human?"

Ashitaka awoke with a gasp and lay frozen in his bed, his sheets drenched in sweat. He focused on trying to breath steadily, failing completely. He seized up once more when he heard a faint rustle from his kitchen. He lifted his head a minuscule amount and peered over his blankets. Somebody sat on his counter. He hollered.  
He toppled from his bed and stood ungracefully, grabbing around for his sword. He heard a tinkly laugh. He forced himself to not remember he dream and glanced up cautiously. San sat on his counter top, her feet swinging and hands busy trying to open a tin. She finally wrenched it open with a expression of pride and removed a tea bag. She sniffed it before promptly ripping it open and dumping its contents on the floor. Ashitaka watched with wide eyes. In a very wolf like manner, she pounced to the floor and crouched near the small pile, sticking out her tongue and licking the chopped herbs. She made a sound of disgust before desperately wiping her tongue with her hand. That made Ashitaka laugh, approaching now at ease.  
"What is this horrible-," she began bluntly.  
"We call it tea. You're meant to mix it into water and drink it," he told her, grinning. She looked at him doubtfully, them stood, crossing her arms and not bothering to wipe the spit from her cheek.  
"You haven't come to see me. It gets a little lonely in the forest."  
"I'm sorry, I've been busy. This is not quite what I was expecting when I said visit," he said, running his hand through his damp hair.  
"Expecting?"  
"Lonely?"  
San frowned at him, and fingered the crystal dagger he had given her not a week before. He glanced at it, then up at her face. It was beautiful. He admired the way it reflected the pale moonlight off her cheeks from the window, crisp and smooth as fresh snow, her eyes bright and fiery like star fire, her lips turned upward in a half smile. He noticed something odd.  
"Don't you usually have- " he gestured to his cheeks and furrowed his brow.  
"It's called war paint, dummy. I don't really need it anymore since the war is over." She said it a bit grudgingly.  
"Well, you look beautiful," he told her. She raised her eyebrows. "You also waisted a whole bag of perfectly good tea." He looked around. "Do you want some?" She hesitated, then nodded. He set to work starting a fire and boiling water. She settled herself on his bed and wiped a finger on the sheets, smelling it, then licking it. He cringed. San gave him an odd look.  
"What do you dream about that makes you sweat so much?" She asked. He shrugged and leaned against the counter. "Tell me now, or else I will leave." She demanded, huffing impatiently. Ashitaka complied, replying,  
"Just the night it happened, you know. Nightmares that make it worse." She nodded, attempting a look of understanding and pity. He smiled at the thought, all though it came off as a grimace. He watched her think, staring at him blindly.  
"Can I do anything to help?"she finally asked, a look of unsureness on her face.  
"Yes, actu-" he began, just as the kettle began to whistle. He was still unused to he sound. He removed it quickly and poured it into two bowls. He dropped a bad of tea into each and went to hand one to her. She took it carefully and sniffed. He took a gulp, cherishing the burning feeling it made traveling down his throat. She sipped cautiously, them guzzled it down quickly, scrunching up her face as it burned her mouth. Ashitaka jumped up to get her a cool glass of water, which she also gulped down.  
"You were saying?" She rasped. He sat beside her and placed a hand on her cheek.  
"You could do this for me." He leaned forward an kissed her gently, caressing her burnt lips with his own and taking her breath away with the utter tenderness of the act. She pulled away, leaving Ashitaka smiling like an idiot.  
"What was that?" She accused, but still a little breathless.  
"A kiss," he said. She stood abruptly and strode to the window, pushing it open and gracefully leaping out. He gasped and ran toward it. He watched as a white wolf disappeared into the black.  
"I do have a door!" He called. He was answered with a howl that echoed into the night and seemed to greet the first beams of dawns light on he horizon.


	2. Chapter 2

Two nights after the "night of the tea", as Ashitaka had named it, he stood pacing on his earthy floor, trying to calm himself down and cool off after another jarring nightmare. He stopped and raised his hand before his face, his eyes raking over the purple brown streaks that stained on his hand, wrapping in diminishing spirals around his rist. A constant reminder of the suffering he had brought. 'If only that demon had never come that day' he thought to himself. Shaking his head when tears began to drip from his eyes, he cursed his weakness and stormed from his house. He walked, them broke into a blind run, down from his house on the hill, past the menacing walls of iron town, to the lake's shore. He collapsed into the silvery sand and strained to catch his breath. Crawling to the waters still surface, sheer and shining like a mirror, reflecting the moons bright white light, he dipped in his hands and splashed his face with the burning cold water, gasping as it forced him to awake from his daze. The ripple creeped out onto the water and echoed silently into nothing.  
"About the-," a loud voice began abruptly from behind him.  
"Holy sun god of-!" he cried, jumping to his feet and flying around. San stood behind him, smirking. "Holy!...San!" He flung his arms about and exclaimed exasperatedly.  
"Yes, I suppose I am rather holy, aren't I," she said thoughtfully. Ashitaka rubbed a hand over his face and sighed,  
"You know, you could make yourself known a little better, maybe a tap on the shoulder or a quiet hello."  
"Ah, but that would be no fun," she smiled, stalking towards him. He looked up into her eyes and groaned.  
"Your going to give me a heart attack. How would you like it if your antics wound me up dead?" He knew immediately he had said the wrong thing.  
"Don't even say that!" She screeched.  
"I'm sorry, San, I'm sorry, I didn't mean it," he apologized, holding out a hand to her.  
"I've already lost far to many people I've loved, Ashitaka." Ashitaka stopped, and met her eyes. Tears glistened in them and they shine with grief and, unexplainably, love.  
"Oh San," he said, striding forward and gathering her into his arms. She let herself be crushed against him and nuzzled her cheek into his shoulder.  
"I just wanted to ask, I want to try that thing again. What did you call it, a kiss?" Ashitaka froze and backed up looking her over worriedly.  
"What?" He asked, trying to make sure he had heard right. San cocked her head innocently, and leaned forward to kiss him, meeting his lips and smiling.  
"Am I doing it right?" She asked. Ashitaka just nodded, leaning forward again. He dug his fingers into her hair and marveled at its smoothness, despite her living with wolves. She broke the kiss, her small smile turning into a wide, genuine one, her eyes glittering.  
"Well that was fun," she said. Ashitaka smiled, gulping, his Adam's apple bobbing. "Will you come and stay with me for a few days. I'm sure you won't be missed. I want to show you some things I've discovered."  
"Of course," Ashitaka replied taking her hand gently. She squeezed his and led him up the cliff path, chatting merrily until her cheery voice dissipated into the dense, dark quiet of the forest.


	3. Chapter 3

The forest hummed a quiet lullaby as Ashitaka fell into comfortable sleep in the cave, curling against the soft wolf skin mat. San watched him from her perch on the rock ledge, thinking of the kiss. She didn't know what it meant, but it had made her feel tingly and nice. It confused her. That made her mad. She furrowed her brow and swung off the ledge, where her brothers slept in their den. It was warm and musty and she inhaled the smell gratefully. No more human filth. Her brother, Soni, raised his head growled,  
"Been with your human scum again?" San frowned.  
"Yes. And he is not scum. Go back to bed." Her brother humphed tiredly and lowered his head, his eyelids fluttering shut over the giant green orbs. San knelt beside her other brother, Keeshi, and lay on top of him, draping her arms over his shoulder. His rough fur caressed her skin and comforted her nerves.  
"Get off, you smell like human," Keeshi grumbled, shuffling away. San complained,  
"No. You just smell so good, Keeshi. You won't deny your sister your beautiful smell."  
"My human sister," he mumbled quietly. San leapt to her feet, her eyes flashing.  
"I am your sister, Keeshi! If mom could hear you, she would rip of your head and feast on your brains!" Her brother sighed then looked up at her. He snarled,  
"Well, mother is dead isn't she, thanks to you and the humans."

San sat again on the ledge, five rabbits in her hand and blood on her lips. She had gone hunting, not a match enough for her brother. She had screamed, spit in his face, and run. Run away from all the bad things that had come and gone. She had thought about roasting the rabbits, but settled for eating one raw and taking the rest back to Ashitaka. Now she stared at him, anger flooding her veins. It was his fault. She would not feed him. She stared at his blank face, and for a moment, cold dread seeped into her stomach when she had the sudden thought that he was dead. No, he wasn't dead he was asleep. Why did she care so much! Why did she trust him! She wanted to scream, and yell, and wrap the hair from her head. She needed something to fight for, and now that was gone.  
She jumped when she saw Ashitaka's eyes open and staring into hers. She hadn't realized she had zoned out, and felt uncomfortable with the thought that he was watching her. She flinched and he smiled. It was not a menacing smile, but a comforting one, and she slowly felt it melting away her anger. Her walls were breaking, and the much withheld sorrow was beginning to leak.  
San flung the rabbits aside and ran into his arms, tumbling to the ground and launching herself onto him. He laughed and hugged her tight as she finally broke, wailing and sobbing into his shirt, smearing the blood and her tears into his bare neck. He rocked her gently as she cried, and he was happy she was soon to be free of her troubles that she had withheld for so, so very long.  
"My parents left me, I never had parents, I was alone, I was a wolf, I love them and they have left me!" She cried breathlessly, heaving for breath between her wracking sobs. "The only mother I ever had is dead and my brothers think I am human! I am a wolf, I am a wolf, I love you and I am a wolf!" Ashitaka took in her words slowly and smiled, whispering comforting words into her ear.  
"You are a wolf, my love. You are and you are never alone. I am here for you." She finally began to tire, and she sagged against him, relaxing and letting herself roll to the ground beside him. She rested her head in his chest and slipped into sleep, tear stained on her cheeks and blood on her chin. Ashitaka thought she looked beautiful.


End file.
